Liberation exposes the underhand tacticts used by JC Decaux to secure the contract to provide free bikes in Paris.
Decaux was the low bidder, with ClearChannel offering a more extensive service and greater revenue to the municipality. But JC, the semi-retired patron unleashed his usual weapons: a legal challenge on a technicality forced a new bidding sequence, then Decaux overbid to force ClearChannel to rule themselves out. The winning bid is unlikely to be honoured: 20 600 bicycles at 1 451 parking spaces is way too ambitious.
The same players are probably now talking to Transport for London.
UPDATE: BikeBiz reports that Clear Channel Communications of the US had filed a lawsuit, claiming ‘irregularities’ in the tendering process.
Image by Sparky
[...] Velorution has an article that claims the Paris free bike scheme has been the target of underhand tactics. [...]
[...] using tricks and skuldudgery to win the contract of operating the Paris Velib, Monsieur Decaux is now claiming that theft and vandalism rates are [...]